Effect of straw biochar amendment on tobacco growth, soil properties, and rhizosphere bacterial communities

Biochar is an effective soil conditioner. However, we have limited understanding of biochar effects on the tobacco growth and bacterial communities in rhizosphere. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different straw biochar amendment (0, 2, 10, and 50 g/kg dry soil) on tobacco growth, soil properties, and bacterial communities in rhizosphere by pot trials. Most of tobacco agronomic traits increased when the application rate varied from 0 to 10 g/kg, but were inhibited by 50 g/kg of biochar application. Soil pH, SOC, available nutrients and soil urease, invertase, and acid phosphatase activities were all increased with the biochar application, whereas catalase activity decreased or remained unchanged. The OTUs and bacterial community diversity indices differed with the biochar application doses in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. And significant differences in bacterial communities were found between the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils despite the biochar addition. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla in all soil samples, but they had different abundances in different treatment influenced by the rhizosphere and biochar effect. The high dose of biochar (50 g/kg) decreased the similarity of soil bacterial community structure in rhizosphere compared with those in non-rhizosphere soil. These results provide a better understanding of the microecological benefits of straw biochar in tobacco ecosystem.